Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas will travel to Syria later this week, but will not meet with the exiled leader of the rival Hamas movement there as first expected.

On a two-day trip beginning Saturday, Abbas will meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and leaders of various Palestinian factions who are based in the Syrian capital, an official in Abbas' office told AFP Wednesday. He will not meet with Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal, the official said.

Earlier it was reported that Abbas and Meshaal would meet in an effort to defuse the deadly power struggle between their rival parties.

The official gave no reason Wednesday as to why the two would not meet.